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US Supreme Court upholds California ban on ex-gay conversion therapy

Butters Scotch said he was “bi-curious” and sent away to a pray-the-gay-away gay camp in an attempt to correct his “confusion” in a episode of “South Park.” The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld a California ban on e-gay conversion therapy for minors. (Photo courtesy of Comedy Central.)

WASHINGTON – A California law banning a controversial and wacko therapy aimed at converting gay and lesbian minors to heterosexual finally will be implemented.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a challenge to the law, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed in 2012 and prohibits therapists from performing sexual-orientation change counseling with children and teens under age 18.

“The Supreme Court has cement shut any possible opening to allow further psychological child abuse in California,” said State Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Redondo Beach), who authored the bill. “The court’s refusal to accept the appeal of extreme ideological therapists who practice the quackery of gay conversion therapy is a victory for child welfare, science and basic humane principles.”

The dangerous technique – also known as “pray the gay away” – became infamous after the 2007 “South Park” episode“Cartman Sucks.” Butters Stotch’s parents thought he was “bi-curious” and sent to him a pray-the-gay-away camp, where several youth committed suicide after being told they were sexually confused.

With their decision, the justices let stand a ruling last year by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that said the state had demonstrated such conversion counseling does not have scientific merit. The appeals court also ruled the law does not violate the free-speech rights of counselors and patients, as two lawsuits filed by anti-gay religious groups challenging the ban had claimed, and the law should be implemented.